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As fast as her legs could carry her, Adora ran through the dense forest, barely seeing anything.
Trees and bushes had felt so normal to her before, but now she wondered if they'd suddenly grown taller. At least she felt a lot smaller than she did just thirty minutes ago.
The rain was hitting her face mercilessly, and she squinted her eyes to protect them as much as she could. Her soaking wet clothes clinging to her body felt like chains around her joints, but she had to keep going.
There were times in her life when Adora had just given up on things when they became too annoying, but this time was different. Her entire body was aching in pain, and her instincts told her to stop running, but she had to pull through.
With one arm slung around her shoulder, Catra tried to hold on to Adora. Barely alive, more dragging behind her than walking, panic was written all over her face and if it wasn't for the rain, the world would see tears running down her face like a puddle overflowing.
With an inhuman sound, Adora screamed from the top of her lungs, then looked around hastily like a lost animal. Blood was running from Catra’s stomach over her hand, which she had wrapped around her waist, pressing down on the wound. Adora's body trembled, but adrenaline drove her on. She didn't have much time left, and she knew that all too well.
Nettles whipped at her legs, and thorns tore at her clothes, but she hardly noticed any of it. Her thoughts drowning out everything around her. She eventually found shelter from the deadly storm in a cave and collapsed. falling on top of her the dying Catra.
A loud sob escaped Adora, and she pulled herself together. The ground was cold and her hands almost immediately began to hurt when she propped herself up, but her thoughts were only on Catra. Even though they were no longer in the rain, she couldn't see clearly at all.
Adora was moving fast, but reality unfolded before her eyes in slow motion.
Blood gushed from a deep cut in Catra's stomach. The sight made her shudder, and she felt like it would haunt her dreams forever to see her best friend like this.
Frantically, she tore the rain tarp from her backpack, the smartest move she'd made in this cursed night, and pulled out the small first aid kit. Cutting open Catra's T-shirt, she felt nauseous. The sight nearly made her throw up, but the pressure of a human life on the line kept her going. She roughly cleaned the wound and bandaged it as well as she could manage while blood covered her hands and ran down onto the stones.
Catra layed still. She didn't move a muscle, not even a flicker of her eyelashes as the alcohol sterilized her wound. She stared at the girl who was desperately trying to save her life, bent over her, with a trembling body shaken by sobs.
"Adora..." she whispered softly, and suddenly the other girl froze, no sound escaping her anymore. It was as if not only the rain but the whole world fell silent. Slowly, Adora's eyes met Catra's.
"Don't speak," she replied in a shaky voice and began to cover Catra with everything she had.
"Adora," Catra whispered again, a bit louder, and reached for her hand. "Stop, breathe, act, remember?" She began to cough, a weak cough, but her face twitched heavily and her teeth were stained red.
Adora jumped up. "Don't talk, try to breathe calmly!" she almost screamed in a desperate tone. Catra just looked at her, while Adora scanned their surroundings for the first time.
Next to them, she found a tree trunk, and her hands hurt as she started pulling and tearing apart the dead wood but she was numb from the adrenaline pumping through her veins at an unhealthy speed. With some effort, Adora managed to spark a fire, and in a fraction of a calm second, reality sank so deeply into her body that it felt like she would burst.
It was all her fault. Completely her fault.
Less than three hours ago, they had been laughing together, feeling like the world belonged to them as they ran away with their stupid backpacks just to breathe freedom through their lungs a single time.
And this was the price.
She now wished someone else was here, someone who would know what to do so she wouldn't feel so helpless watching Catra die. After everything, she felt like a child unable to act alone, and now the weight of responsibility pressed solely on her shoulders.
Suddenly, the morning seemed far away, when they had stood in Catra's room, dreaming of leaving everything behind.
Blue birds and yellow butterflies, they had imagined.
Laying side by side in the grass and talking about everything. But the grass had turned into cold stone, and the butterflies had been replaced by ashes of a fire burning just enough to light the cave.
The bubble had burst, and Adora wished for nothing more than to be at home with Catra in their cozy bed, with dimmed lights and hot cocoa, without worries.
Where her biggest problem was her internal conflicts about her feelings for Catra.
And now she was in front of her. Covered with the only blanket they had and Adora's sweater. She would do anything for her, even if it meant freezing to death herself.
Catra's eyes were open but she said nothing. A thin trail of blood ran from her mouth, and Adora sat close beside her.
"What have we done?" she whispered to the injured girl. Seconds felt like hours, and outside the rain still pounded against everything in its way. Despite the loud thunder, they understood each other perfectly.
"At least we had one last adventure," Catra said with an eerily calm and clear voice. "Don't say things like that!" Adora cried. "We'll make it, and then we'll go home together, okay?" Her voice sounded more like a plea, and she took Catra's hand in hers.
The pathetic fire cast shadows over the two, and Catra's eyelids grew heavy. "Adora, I am home," she whispered and slowly raised her hand, trembling and weak, pressing it against Adora's heart.
"Don't you get it?" Her hand wandered higher to Adora's chin, pulling lightly. Adora followed the movement, mesmerized.
"I love you, I always have," she whispered as their faces were close to each other. Adora's heart raced, but she was petrified at the same time. All her senses were focused on Catra and how close her lips were. She completely blocked out her surroundings.
Then their lips met and Adora felt as if she was caught on fire.
for ten long seconds, she experienced heaven and hell simultaneously.
The moment passed far too quickly.
Adora pulled back a little and eventually looked up into her eyes. Catra stared back at her through slits, and her chest rose and fell slowly.
"Please, stay," Adora whispered through tears streaming down her face uncontrollably. Catra moved her hand back into Adora's. "I could never really leave you," she whispered, and with all the strength she had left, she smiled. Then her eyes closed.
Adora could feel Catra's hand in hers grow heavier as her chest rose and fell one last time. "I love you too," she murmured, almost suffocating on every word she spoke while the bitter taste of Catra's blood lingered on her lips.
She felt nothing. She didn't cry anymore, didn't move, and her mind was blank.
She just stared at Catra in disbelief.
The girl was right in front of her as if peacefully asleep.
As if the cold didn't bother her anymore.
As if the gushing wound didn't hurt her anymore.
As if they sat in green grass, watching blue birds and yellow butterflies.
Only this time, Catra would not wake up again.
Then slowly, the fire died out, and Adora was surrounded by her own darkness.